Sports glove thumb protector

ABSTRACT

A thumb protector for a sports glove, such as a lacrosse glove, is attached to the thumb region of the sports glove. The thumb protector optionally may be attached to the thumb region via an elastic strap that slips over the thumb region, or via rivets or other connectors that penetrate into or through the padding in the thumb region. A lower region of the thumb protector may be secured to a base of the thumb region via an elastic strap on the glove or a similar connector.

BACKGROUND

Lacrosse and hockey players—and goalies, in particular—are often subjected to impacts from sticks, balls, and pucks. The thumb region of a player is particularly susceptible to violent impacts. Lacrosse goalies, for example, typically wear padded gloves to protect their hands. Some goalies also wear additional thumb protectors on the outside of their gloves for additional thumb protection. Existing thumb protectors, however, often are susceptible to falling off of the glove during impact, and do not always adequately protect the wearer's thumb when the thumb is in a bent or flexed position away from the thumb protector.

SUMMARY

A thumb protector for a sports glove, such as a lacrosse glove, is attached to the thumb region of the sports glove. The thumb protector optionally may be attached to the thumb region via an elastic strap that slips over the thumb region, or via rivets or other connectors that penetrate into or through the padding in the thumb region. A lower region of the thumb protector may be secured to a base of the thumb region via an elastic strap on the glove or a similar connector. Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter. The features described above can be used separately or together, or in various combinations of one or more of them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sports glove including a thumb protector, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a close-up, perspective view of the thumb region of the lacrosse glove and thumb protector shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the thumb protector shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the thumb protector shown in FIGS. 1-3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.

The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.

Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list.

Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in FIGS. 1-4, in one embodiment, a thumb protector 10 is removably attached to the thumb-receiving member, or thumb region 12, of a lacrosse glove 14. The lacrosse glove 14 includes a main body from which the thumb region 12 and a plurality of finger-receiving members, or finger regions 17, extend.

The thumb protector 10 includes a shell having a top section 16 and two side sections 18 depending from the top section 16. The thumb protector 10 may also include a front section 19 that covers a tip of the thumb region 12. The shell may be made of a plastic material, such as polyethylene, or of another suitable material.

As shown in FIG. 3, in one embodiment, a liner of padding, such as foam padding, may be attached to the inner surface of one or more of the thumb protector walls. For example, foam padding may be attached to an underside of the top section 16, or to inner walls of the side sections 18 or the front section 19, of the thumb protector 10. The padding may be made of a high density, energy-absorbing foam, such as an energy-absorbing, vinyl nitrile foam, or of another suitable material. A layer of comfort foam may optionally be included, as well.

In one embodiment, a first energy-absorbing, vinyl nitrile foam 30, such as VN1000, is adhered or otherwise attached to the inner walls of the side sections 18, and a second energy-absorbing, vinyl nitrile foam 32, such as VN1485, is adhered or otherwise attached to the inner wall of the front section 19. In the illustrated embodiment, the first vinyl nitrile foam padding 30 is thinner than the second vinyl nitrile foam padding 32, to better absorb severe impacts against the tip of the thumb. For example, the first vinyl nitrile foam padding 30 may have a thickness of approximately 3-5 mm, while the second vinyl nitrile foam padding 32 may have a thickness of approximately 5-7 mm. Any other suitable foam thicknesses may be used. In an alternative embodiment, padding is not included under the shell of the thumb protector 10.

In one embodiment, an elastic strap 40, or another suitable securing element, is connected to the side sections 18 or the foam padding 30 of the thumb protector 10 via rivets 28 or other suitable fastening elements. The strap 40 is preferably elastic or stretchable so that it may slip tightly over the thumb region 12 of the lacrosse glove 14 to removably secure the thumb protector 10 to the thumb region 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the ends of the strap 40 are positioned between the side sections 18 and the foam padding 30. A rivet 28 passes through an opening in each side section 18, then through an end the strap 40, to secure the end of the strap 40 to its respective side section 18. The rivets 28 optionally extend into or through the foam padding 30, as well.

In one embodiment, a lower region 20 of the thumb protector 10 includes a slot 22 configured to receive an elastic strap 24 or similar connector that is stitched or otherwise attached to the thumb region 12 of the glove 14. The elastic strap 24 secures the lower region 20 of the thumb protector 10 to the thumb region 12 of the glove 14 so that the thumb protector 10 remains securely in place against the glove. The slot 22 preferably traverses a first direction and then at least one additional direction at a substantial angle to the first direction so that the strap 24 remains in place and does not easily slide out of the slot 22 during play. In one embodiment, the slot 22 has a width of approximately 1 to 2 mm, but any other sized slot, corresponding to any suitably sized strap, may be used.

In another embodiment, one or more rivets 28 or other fastening elements may permanently attach the thumb protector 10 to the thumb region 12 of the lacrosse glove 14. The one or more rivets 28 pass through the side sections 18 of the thumb protector 10 and through the foam padding 30 into (or through) the padding contained in the thumb region 12 of the lacrosse glove 14. The padding in the thumb region 12 may be made of expanded polypropylene, or of another suitable material. In one embodiment, a single rivet 28 passes through both side sections 18, the foam padding 30, and the padding in the thumb region 12 of the glove 14. In another embodiment, two or more rivets 28, which may pass through the side sections 18 of the thumb protector 10, the underlying foam padding 30, and the glove padding, or may terminate in the glove padding, are used to attach the thumb protector 10 to the thumb region 12 of the lacrosse glove 14.

Inclusion of the elastic strap 40 that slips tightly over the thumb region 12—or of rivets that penetrate the padding in the thumb region 12—limits the degree to which a player can bend the tip of his or her thumb away from the shell of the thumb protector 10. Accordingly, the player's thumb remains protected by the thumb protector 10 during all movements and aspects of play.

Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Furthermore, the thumb protector may include additional features not described herein. While several embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents. 

1. A thumb protector for a sports glove, comprising: a shell including a top section, and two side sections and a front section depending from the top section; a stretchable strap configured to slip tightly over a thumb region of a sports glove, the stretchable strap including a first end attached to the first side section and a second end attached to the second side section; and a slot in the top section configured to receive a glove strap.
 2. The thumb protector of claim 1 further comprising padding on an inner surface of each of the two side sections and the front section.
 3. The thumb protector of claim 2 wherein the padding comprises an energy-absorbing padding.
 4. The thumb protector of claim 3 wherein the energy-absorbing padding comprises vinyl nitrile foam.
 5. The thumb protector of claim 2 wherein the padding on the inner surface of the front section is thicker than the padding on the inner surfaces of the first and second side sections.
 6. The thumb protector of claim 1 wherein the stretchable strap is attached to the first and second side sections via rivets.
 7. A thumb protector for a sports glove, comprising: a shell including a top section, and a first side section and a second side section depending from the top section; padding on an inner surface of each of the first and second side sections; a strap configured to slip over a thumb region of a lacrosse glove, the strap including a first end and a second end; a first fastening element securing the first end of the strap to the first side section; and a second fastening element securing the second end of the strap to the second side section.
 8. The thumb protector of claim 7 wherein the first fastening element passes through the first side section and the first end of the strap to secure the first end of the strap to the first side section, and the second fastening element passes through the second side section and the second end of the strap to secure the second end of the strap to the second side section.
 9. The thumb protector of claim 8 wherein the first and second fastening elements comprise rivets.
 10. The thumb protector of claim 7 further comprising a slot in the top section configured to receive a glove strap.
 11. The thumb protector of claim 7 further comprising a front section depending from the top section and connecting the first and second side sections.
 12. The thumb protector of claim 11 further comprising padding on an inner surface of the front section.
 13. The thumb protector of claim 12 wherein the padding on the inner surface of the front section is thicker than the padding on the inner surfaces of the first and second side sections.
 14. A thumb protector for a sports glove, comprising: a shell including a top section, and a first side section and a second side section depending from the top section; padding on an inner surface of each of the first and second side sections; a slot in the top section configured to receive a glove strap; and at least one fastening element passing through at least one of the side sections and the padding, with the fastening element configured to penetrate additional padding in a sports glove for attachment to the sports glove.
 15. The thumb protector of claim 14 further comprising a front section depending from the top section and connecting the first and second side sections.
 16. The thumb protector of claim 15 further comprising padding on an inner surface of the front section.
 17. The thumb protector of claim 16 wherein the padding on the inner surfaces of the front section and of the first and second side sections comprises energy-absorbing, vinyl nitrile foam.
 18. The thumb protector of claim 17 wherein the padding on the inner surface of the front section is thicker than the padding on the inner surfaces of the first and second side sections.
 19. The thumb protector of claim 17 wherein the padding on the inner surface of the front section comprises a different vinyl nitrile foam than the padding on the inner surfaces of the first and second side sections.
 20. The thumb protector of claim 14 wherein at least one fastening elements comprises at least one rivet. 